Nokia Lumia 1020 pictures and hands-on

Nokia has announced a new camera. No wait, a new phone. Scratch that. A new camera phone. It says it is the best darn camera phone on the market.

We were at the launch event in New York. We grabbed the goods. We like the 1020. A lot.

That's the crux of what Nokia has opted to offer today in what feels like its third flagship smartphone launch in three months. First we had the 928, then the 925, and now the 1020.

In the hand the phone is large, but also, more importantly, light. The polycarbonate all-in-one-piece design gives it a Lumia 900 feel, but the edges aren't so harsh. The material is softer to touch and that's a good thing.

The phone itself offers the same experience as delivered by the 925. When it comes to the basic software, it's easy to use and delivers little beyond what we've already seen. That is, until you open up the Nokia Pro Camera app.

It's here that the phone starts to take advantage of the new, funky hardware - it zips along quiet nicely.

The app is incredibly easy to use and it is remarkably simple to change settings without getting the user bogged down in settings. It's strange, as you are actually given a lot of control over what kind of photos you can take.

We like it a lot, we love the power of the camera - more on that in a short time - and the Nokia's hardware is second to none.

Microsoft, it's now up to you to get those developers on board. Sooner rather than later, if the Nokia Lumia 1020 is to be a success.